USDA

Government Agricultural Servicesusda.gov

USDA is the U.S. federal executive department providing national leadership on food, agriculture, nutrition, natural resources, and rural development through 29 agencies, serving American farmers, low-income families, rural communities, and international food-security programs with appropriations-funded safety-net, inspection, research, and trade functions.

Company typePrivate
Founded1862
HeadquartersWashington, United States
Headcount5,001–10,000
GTM typeB2B and B2C
OfferingServices

What USDA does

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is a federal executive department of the U.S. government, established in 1862 by President Abraham Lincoln and headquartered in Washington, D.C. It is composed of 29 agencies and staff offices providing leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues, and operates with 10,000+ employees across domestic programs and an international presence in more than 80 countries. Its operating portfolio spans food assistance programs (SNAP serving more than 41 million Americans, WIC, National School Lunch), agricultural support (farm loans, crop insurance, conservation programs through FSA/NRCS), food safety inspection (FSIS, the nation's largest meat and poultry inspection authority), agricultural research (ARS, NIFA-funded extramural research), international trade promotion (FAS), rural infrastructure development, and dietary guidance produced jointly with HHS.

USDA's technology infrastructure includes a multi-agency scientific stack built around the Agricultural Research Service, Economic Research Service, National Agricultural Statistics Service, and National Institute of Food and Agriculture, complemented by advanced remote-sensing and mapping tools (Vegetation indices in VegScape), AI initiatives under the Genesis project for germplasm-data translation, domain-specific software such as i-Tree for urban forest management, genome-sequencing capabilities across wheat, tomato, bean, barley, apple, pig, and turkey, and public databases including FoodData Central, AGRICOLA, and the National Nutrient Database.

USDA does not operate on a commercial revenue model. It is funded entirely through Congressional appropriations and operates nutrition assistance, agricultural support, conservation, rural development, inspection, and research programs at no direct cost to beneficiaries. Customer beneficiaries include farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers; low-income families and food-insecure Americans; WIC-eligible women, infants, and children; rural communities benefiting from infrastructure programs; and developing countries targeted under the Feed the Future initiative and international food aid programs. The department's distribution surface reaches more than 250,000 SNAP-authorized retailers, schools, food banks, Indian reservations, and emergency feeding organizations, and is delivered through hybrid direct-to-beneficiary and federal-state coordination channels.

USDA firmographics

Firmographics

Name: USDA
Legal name: United States Department of Agriculture
Website: https://usda.gov
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1862
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 5,001–10,000 employees
Short description: USDA is the U.S. federal executive department providing national leadership on food, agriculture, nutrition, natural resources, and rural development through 29 agencies, serving American farmers, low-income families, rural communities, and international food-security programs with appropriations-funded safety-net, inspection, research, and trade functions.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

USDA industry classification

Industry

Product category: Government Agricultural Services
NAICS: Regulation of Agricultural Marketing and Commodities (92614), Community Food Services (62421)
SIC: Federal & Federally-Sponsored Credit Agencies (6111), Agricultural Services (700)
akta.pro primary industry: Agriculture, Fisheries & Food Administration (BPAIAAAO)
akta.pro secondary industries: Supplier Approval, Verification & Food Safety Risk Management (GFSI-aligned) (AFALADAH), Import/Export & Border Compliance Support (FSVP, Prior Notice, Health Certificates) (AFALADAE), Regulatory Submissions, Registrations & Facility Approvals (FDA/USDA/EU) (AFALADAD), Recall Readiness, Crisis Management & Regulatory Liaison (AFALADAG), Sanitation & Hygienic Design Compliance (SSOPs, GMPs) (AFALADAJ), Food Security, Agriculture & Nutrition Aid Programs (BPADABAD)

Keywords

Nutrition assistance programs
Food safety inspection
Agricultural research services
Rural development programs
Farm support programs

Where USDA is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Washington
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

USDA business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B and B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

USDA product offering

Product offering

Core offering

USDA is a federal executive department that administers nutrition assistance programs (SNAP, WIC, and National School Lunch Program) for low-income Americans, conducts food safety inspection of meat, poultry, and processed egg products through FSIS, delivers farmer safety-net programs (crop insurance, farm loans, conservation programs, and disaster assistance), provides rural development infrastructure funding, operates international food aid programs, and conducts intramural and extramural agricultural research through ARS and NIFA.

Product overview

USDA operates as a federal department with multiple interconnected agencies and programs providing a comprehensive suite of food, agricultural, and nutritional services. The portfolio includes food assistance programs (SNAP, WIC, school nutrition programs), agricultural support services (farm loans, crop insurance, conservation programs), food safety inspection (FSIS), agricultural research (ARS), international trade promotion (FAS), rural development, and nutrition guidance. Key marketing initiatives include the Product of USA voluntary labeling program. The department manages commodity programs through FSA (ARC/PLC, marketing assistance loans), environmental programs through NRCS (EQIP, CSP, CRP), and animal/plant health protection through APHIS. Agricultural Marketing Service provides grading standards and commodity purchasing for federal feeding programs. Food distribution is supported by web-based supply chain management technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
National School Lunch Program
Product of USA Label
Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
Farm Service Agency (FSA) Programs
Crop Insurance
Conservation Programs
Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)
Rural Development Programs
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)
Cooperative Extension
Genesis AI Crop Innovation Program

Quantifiable outcome

41+ million Americans receive SNAP benefits monthly
+4 more outcomes

Companies that use USDA

Customer profile

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

USDA technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

USDA partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

Mexico (Government of Mexico)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 July 2026USDA announced phased reopening of southern cattle ports beginning August 24, 2026, contingent on Mexico's adherence to the Joint Action Plan for New World screwworm containment.
Universities and Research StakeholderscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 July 2026USDA called on universities and stakeholders to help build new AI tools through the Genesis project to translate germplasm data and accelerate crop innovation.
HHS and EPAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 July 2026USDA, HHS, and EPA announced an updated MOU to bolster consumer protections from heavy metals and other contaminants in food, reaffirming shared commitment to food safety.
FDA (Food and Drug Administration)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026USDA and FDA collaborate on the BRIDGE Project for risk-based food industry oversight and have partnered to establish a federal definition for ultra-processed foods.
Department of Justice (DOJ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026USDA and DOJ signed a Memorandum of Understanding in September 2025 to protect American farmers from high and volatile input costs and ensure competitive supply chains.
Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010USDA participates in this multilateral trust fund that has awarded $658 million to finance country development plans in 18 low-income countries with 8.2 million beneficiaries. The U.S. helped launch GAFSP in 2010.
Norman Borlaug Commemorative Research InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Partnership between USDA and USAID launched in 2010 for collaborative research on wheat rust, aflatoxin, East Coast fever vaccine, and enhanced animal, grain and legumes production.
Feed the Future Initiative PartnersflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009USDA coordinates with USAID, other federal agencies, and international partners under the Feed the Future initiative launched in 2009. Target countries include Ghana, Kenya, East Africa, Bangladesh, Haiti, Guatemala and Central America. The initiative addresses global food security through agricultural development and nutrition programs.
EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009USDA is a member of the Federal Interagency Collaboration to Reduce Food Loss and Waste (FIFLAW) along with EPA, FDA, and USAID.
USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009USAID partners with USDA on Feed the Future and international food aid programs, benefiting 34 million individuals globally with assistance valued at nearly $1.6 billion.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

USDA competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Broad incumbents

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations: UN specialized agency leading international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO and USDA collaborate on global food security, agricultural statistics, and international standards, with USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service operating as the U.S. counterpart to FAO's international scope.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Federal agency responsible for food safety oversight (non-meat/poultry), pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. USDA and FDA jointly administer U.S. food safety through the BRIDGE Project, making FDA the most directly comparable federal peer with overlapping food safety and ultra-processed food authority.
U.S. Department of Labor (DOL): Federal department governing workforce policy. USDA depends on DOL's H-2A agricultural worker program (new 2025 rule saving $2B+) for farm labor, making DOL a critical partner whose policy actions directly affect USDA's agricultural producer base.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS): Federal department overseeing border security and immigration. DHS's 2025 H-2A streamlining rule and border inspection activities directly affect USDA's agricultural trade and labor programs, with overlapping authority on agricultural imports.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Federal agency regulating environmental and agricultural contaminants. USDA and EPA share jurisdiction over pesticide approval, food contaminants (heavy metals MOU), and conservation programs, making EPA a closely adjacent federal peer with overlapping agricultural regulatory scope.
U.S. Department of the Interior: Federal department managing public lands, natural resources, and tribal affairs. USDA's Forest Service and NRCS share natural resource management scope with Interior, and both departments administer programs affecting rural and tribal communities.

Direct peers

USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development): Federal agency administering international development and food aid programs. USDA and USAID jointly implement Feed the Future, McGovern-Dole, and Norman Borlaug Research Initiative, with bilateral collaboration on international food security and agricultural development.

Regional players

UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA): UK government department responsible for environmental protection, food production, and rural affairs. DEFRA combines food safety, agricultural support, and rural development functions similar to USDA, making it a regional peer operating comparable programs in a different geography.
European Commission - DG Agriculture and Rural Development: European Union's executive agency implementing the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), managing farm subsidies, rural development, and agricultural market regulation. DG AGRI is the most directly comparable international counterpart to USDA's domestic farm support and rural development mandate.

Others

NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration): Federal agency providing weather, climate, and ocean data. NOAA's forecasting capabilities directly support USDA's crop insurance, disaster assistance, and agricultural intelligence programs, with VegScape and crop monitoring data dependent on NOAA-affiliated climate information.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

USDA financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

USDA leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

USDA subsidiaries and ownership

Company hierarchy

Subsidiaries13 records

USDA funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

USDA M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about USDA

What does USDA do?

Is USDA a public or private company?

USDA is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.

When was USDA founded?

USDA was founded in 1862. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.

Where is USDA based?

USDA is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.

Who are USDA's main competitors?

Broad incumbents on record are Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of the Interior. USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development) is listed as a direct peer. Regional players are UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and European Commission - DG Agriculture and Rural Development. NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) is listed as an others.

Does USDA have an API?

No public API is recorded for USDA.

What industry is USDA in?

USDA's product category is Government Agricultural Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIAAAO, Agriculture, Fisheries & Food Administration, with a secondary code of AFALADAH, Supplier Approval, Verification & Food Safety Risk Management (GFSI-aligned). Its NAICS code is 92614 and its SIC code is 6111.